


Burning Wings

by Evelyn_fireheart



Series: Miraculous Exchanges [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Power Swap, Chat Noir Nino Lahiffe, F/M, Fox Adrien Agreste, Kwami Swap, LadyNoir - Freeform, Ladybug Alya Césaire, Peacock Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Power Swap, Who am i kidding no one reads these
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-07 11:04:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16852831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evelyn_fireheart/pseuds/Evelyn_fireheart
Summary: Miraculous magic has a lasting effect.You have seen the effects of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses.But what about the others?Marinette isn't late that day, and a rushing new girl helps that unassuming elderly man.But the akumas still terrorise, and soon she is called into action to become the wise yet elusive Paon.





	1. Brink of Eternity

Paon's eyes gleamed as she observed the war being waged far below her perch, but no fear struck her heart.

After years of fighting by their side, she knew their capabilities and knew that no matter how much they seemed to struggle, they did not need her right now.

She was proven right when the akuma was forced to yield a step backwards. And then another. And another.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were little more than blurs of black and red as they attacked viciously, weapons glinting silver and drawing her eyes whenever they caught the remaining tendrils of sun.

She crouched and cocked her head as her vision sharpened.

It had been a gift -this birdlike sight and hearing. As were the countless nights she had spent flying through the streets, great wings beating at her sides as she chased the sunset. But her other gifts, most of those were not fully understood by the pair that fought below her.

They didn't understand the power that writhed at her fingertips.

She had pulled Ladybug back from death before. Had weaved her torn lifeforce back into a whole, and tugged her away from the brink of eternity.

They had minimised her powers to that of a healer.

She wasn't bothered, not really. It meant that her enemies believed her to be weak, believed that she was a mere chick in comparison to the warriors fighting below.

They never suspected her power.

Another of the traits that became one with her as soon as those words left her lips was the sense of Justice. Equality. Fair punishment. They became as intrinsically her as the hue of her eyes, and the creativity that flowed through her blood.

So much so that she stopped being the soft hearted girl who, while she stood up for people, backed down eventually.

Instead she became someone that stood for justice, no matter who it benefitted. She became someone who would fight till her last breath for what was right.

It made her dangerous.

But the concept of which the peacock miraculous had been born was Truth. Brutal, unyielding truth.

It was in every curve of her feathers and every sweep of that midnight blue costume.

And when she was at her weakest in battle, when she fell to her knees as her feathers flared, it was truth that came pouring out of her.

The truth of life.

The truth of nightmares.

And that made her not only dangerous, but a force that could end the world. Or rule it.

It was why she was so out of place in this team.

Because not only was her power almost unchecked, but it was without opposite. Paon was forced to have to try to balance the magic herself, to restrict her power in fear of wiping out everyone nearby.

She hummed in an effort to distract herself and that dark, destructive power clawing at her skin.

Her foot tapped out the rhythm of the fight as her gaze carved out the truth. She was getting too distracted. There would be enough weakness in this fight without her adding to it.

The unbalance in the fight didn't take her power to glean. It was as clear as the cocky smirk on the akuma's face.

She knew then that the akuma had realised the way the pair fought, not in call and answer to each other's movements, but rather in echo. They attacked and defended as one.

It resulted in two heroes with a worryingly big blind spot.

Paon's brow creased in worry for the first time. She had realised as soon as she saw them fighting close up that Ladybug and Chat Noir were not well matched. Ladybug was like a wildfire, raging and uncontrollable, always moving and thinking. Always fighting. And Chat Noir- he was like water. Moving from place to place yes-but  
slowly. Chat carved as he went, taking akumas down slowly, steadily.  
Separate maybe their miraculous would've been matched well enough to them that they could succeed.

But together...

Water to douse her powerful flames. Searing heat to tear the water apart.

She hadn't planned for this weakness to present its face so soon.  
It had taken years but...  
Soon. Too soon.

A cruel part of Paon wondered how the old man could have chosen so badly.

Apart from her, of course. The miraculous was perhaps not the best one for her but she understood that she was fluid enough for almost any miraculous to work with her. It is why Duusu had chosen her.

Flames roiled in her soul, but they flowed close to the ground and burned with the silvery flare of a waterfall. They could not be quashed. Could not be contained. But they were not unstable. _She_ was not unstable.

Unlike the feline hero below, who took his first stumble as the akuma brought their sword down onto his staff. The crash echoed through the street with the force of a hurricane, and with a yowl, Chat was knocked on his ass.

In another world, she might have laughed. Might have swept down there on a silver string and picked her partner up with a tilted head and a secret smile.

But it was this universe she was stuck in, so Paon let loose a stinging curse and rose to her feet. Cold precision swept across her face, smoothing out any emotions that could become a weakness.  
A wave of her hand had the navy blue shawl that warmed her shoulders changing and locking into place until a bulletproof hood hung over her brow. Long and thin metal pins twisted and changed until her long black braid was held back in a regal crown.

They were multifunctional- another set of knives if need be, though the others didn't know that.

Her miraculous thrummed and she felt its power beat in symphony with her heart as adrenaline flooded her blood. The sleek dress that hung down around her waist was lifting, separating, until a dazzling array of feathers rose from her back in a vibrant shield. Delicate plates of skintight armour glittered with stars as they became visible under the fading dusk and the heroine let out a vicious laugh.

Feral excitement danced in her eyes as she stepped forward, and dove off the building.

 


	2. Arc of Death

  
Wind roared in her ears as she fell. It sang as her feathers sliced through and the ground neared. Though she was silent. She did not scream, did not shout nor cry for help. A smile merely graced her lips as the whistle of her feathers slowed, and mighty wings spread from her back. Huge and powerful, the wings pounded against the wind until she was circling above the fight like a hawk.

The akuma was a western wind as they pushed the pair back and back against the street wall. Cornered. Ladybug didn't reach down for her yo-yo so she could protect herself. Chat Noir didn't extend his baton into a staff to launch him free. Neither did what they should have to escape.

Paon's eyes narrowed into a predator's gaze. Cornered like scared prey. Not heroes.  
Gods. _How did he choose so disastrously?_

Her wings were like tendrils of shadow-kissed night, a power that was an extension of her as much as her fans and the feathers that shielded her. But they had not yet fully melded with their powers and kwamis. What was preventing them she wasn't sure, it could be any number of things.  
Fear was a common block, even in non-magical situations and wouldn't be surprising.

But suspicion, _truth_ wormed its way into her brain. Those two were almost recklessly fearless in their pursuit. It was something magical, something _other_.

Paon reigned in her gasp as the truth hit her.

The old man had realised his mistake.  
He had tried to limit their power, to try and give them time enough to get adjusted to it.

But they were out of time.

So she folded her wings in until they were but shadow and mist, and dropped to a silent crouch behind the akuma.  
Ladybug didn't see her in the fallen night but Chat's glowing golden eyes widened with recognition. His rash fighting slowed, his body relaxing with relief.

Paon cleared her throat, and stood. As the akuma turned to face her, she relished the fear seeping into their eyes.   
Shadows cast her face in darkness but she knew cobalt flames danced in her own irises as she spoke softly.

"You know who I am." Her feathers flared higher, brighter behind her -as terrifying as they were beautiful. "And more importantly, so does Hawkmoth."  
A purple butterfly flickered over the akuma's face, and that horrifying face paled with fear.  
Ladybug stood up from her defensive position, and gave her a grateful nod. Paon didn't bother acknowledging it. She was a royal bird on the hunt now, and she wants her prey.

 

"You know my... gifts," she said, raising a light-wreathed hand. Beautiful music began dancing through the air. It was soft, gentle. Evoking. Likely a jazz club starting again after an attack. Either way, it was a reminder. She set her dominant foot behind her and lowered her weight onto it. She raised her hand in front of her, the other hidden against her back. A warmth caressed her hand, and the familiar weight of her fan settled between her gloved fingers. Flicking her wrist unsheathed the feathers into a beautiful arc of death. But she kept it cloistered to her back. It was not yet time.

She would have to wait for the correct moment to attack. _A peacock must be wise,_ Duusu had told her _, We are proud and regal creatures -with good reason for our beauty attracts all- and we are righteous in our fury._ Those immortal eyes had glowed then, with the force of a thousand stars. _But we do not attack rashly. We wait in the shadows, we plan, and when needed, when **threatened** , we attack. _

 

The thought made the light winding around her wrist glow brighter, stronger. She would not let her kwami down. Not when she had chosen her in the first place and gifted her this life. Paon's face settled into one of certainty and determination. But the akuma stepped towards her, and there was cold blooded fury on that monstrous face. So the fear was gone then. _Fool_.

What an idiotic, egotistical _fool_.

 

A pearl of laughter escaped Ladybug, her dusk-tipped hair bobbing as she attempted to hold it in. Yes, the heroine knew that it was not her and Chat to be feared -as it perhaps should be. She was not the force that struck fear into the hearts of Paris. Ladybug was the beacon of hope for Paris; a light that shone to declare hope for the world. Chat was the sword she enacted upon the enemies of her people. Occasionally that hero would take hits for his partner but he had never became her shield. Paon knew it was because that level of self-sacrificing was reserved for the red-haired lady who held his heart, and not the masked woman she became when danger came knocking. Maybe he would if he knew- if either of them ever found out. But for now he was a sword. And Paon was the heroine who was called into action when their combined power wasn't enough.

She was the third, who wiped up the messes and dealt out justice.

And that is what she would do.

Flames of amusement licked at Paon's own throat, but she kept them in. She would be proud later. She would cry her triumph to the darkening sky.

Right now, it was time to earn that victory. 

 

The akuma stepped forward, and that glimmering light flickered out. A fan of razor-sharp knives appeared in her hand instead. Surprise flickered over the akuma's face before it vanished with a thread of smoke. Quivering mist produced a sword of jagged gold in each of their hands, and the akuma flourished them at her.

 

Paon gave a savage smile, and there was no joy in it. Only the promise of sweet defeat.  

Settling onto her haunches fully, she raised her fans to the sky and flared her feathers. They clinked quietly as they shook out fully, their span taking up so much light they casted the street a smothering blue. "Lets play," she said with midnight softness.

And launched herself up and up and up, and then thrust her fans down into the waiting arms of the akuma.

 


	3. Trusting a fox

Shaking her feathers, Paon lowered a delicate hand to the victim, who grasped it as if it was a lifeline. She allowed her face to soften into one she reserved only for the victims of akuma. Especially the children. As this one was. Her lips raised into a reassuring smile as her head tilted, and she gave the victim a look that said _it's okay, it wasn't your fault._ The teenager still looked anxious- as if they expected to be scolded. Or hit.

When Paon saw fear darken the young person's face - _child's_ , this was a _child_ before her- something inside her crumpled. This, _this_ was why when they faced down Hawkmoth she would not pity him, or gift him forgiveness. She would unleash her full power upon him, and would let her shining light wash away the black stain his presence inflicted on Paris.

A _child._ A young person who had been attacked and abused, likely by their own family, had lost their right to emotion due to his domineering control of her city. Conflict warred in her mind, but eventually she settled on resting a hand on the victim's shoulder. Rage rose again as fear took over the victim and their shoulders drooped, but she refused to let that power take over her again. Glowing eyes were for enemies, not victims. Let them become beacons in the dark some day -but not today.

Ladybug and Chat Noir stepped towards them, but she met each of their gazes and shook her head. Ladybug's relentless orders and optimism would do little good here; as would Chat's constant upbeat attitude. This was for her to tackle. Ladybug opened her mouth to protest, but Chat flung a hand against her stomach to stop the heroine from striding over and scaring the victim. He got an annoyed look sent his way, but she stopped.

Good.

 

Paon turned back to the victim. "Hey, can you remember anything?" The kid's shoulders shook underneath her grip, but they managed a shake of their head. She barely restrained herself from hugging them right there on the spot. She scolded herself internally. Forced human contact would be a very bad idea- at least until she knew the extent of the abuse and the marks it had left on the cowering person before her. The abuse in question had likely been the reason for their akumatisation. 

Anger was a powerful emotion, but sadness was even more so. Anger burned quick and fast, while sadness carved and carved until there was nothing left. While anger would turn precious parts of you to ash, sadness could break you entirely. Worry for this young victim stirred in her gut, but Paon merely offered up a gentle smile and a nod. 

While she didn't want to overwhelm the chick with questions there were things they needed to know to ensure the child's safety.

"Okay, now are you comfortable with answering more questions?" An answering shake and bowing of their head. 

"Alright." Soothing calm lined her voice as she spoke, and she forced her pity and world-devouring fury into a tiny box inside her, then threw away the key. Later she would open that box, when she could be herself without the burden of her power. Later, she would be alone and free to cry. She glanced up at Ladybug and Chat Noir, and tried to communicate with them silently as best she could. They shrugged their shoulders in almost-unison. Paon almost sighed.

 

A child. A child. A child. The thought pounded through her head relentlessly.

A child made to fight. A child who was so desperate for strength that they turned to a soothing voice they heard whispering in the shadows when they were at their weakest, their most vulnerable.

This victim couldn't be more than twelve years old, thirteen at the most. It didn't seem young to many at her age, but when _she_ was that age...

Gods, when she was that age she didn't even know what an akuma _was;_ her biggest worry at that age was the spots beginning to pop up beneath her bangs and the next _Gabriel_ competition. Her jaw set. A child should have choices. Rights.

 

Paon let her hands fall to clenched fists at her sides before stepping back and uncoiling until she stood at her full height. Lifting her chin, she looked them straight in the eyes and smoothed over her expression. Light touches tickled against her ankles as her feathers relaxed, but her eyes were hard as she evaluated the scared child before her. "Look, kid-"

"I'm not a ki-" She gave them a hard stare, and their mouth slammed shut.

"Kid, I'm not going to sugarcoat this for you. You know who we are," she said, checking over their facial expression for any recognition of the words. There wasn't any. "and you know what we do." She placed a hand on her cocked hip; trying to minimise the intimidation. Paon lowered her voice. "Most importantly, I figure I know you pretty well too." 

They shook their head hard but she gave them a look that said not to deny it. "You seem intelligent, smart, I would even go so far as to call you perceptive."

 "I'm really- I'm not really that-"

"Shut up." Paon glared at them in a silent command. "The butterflies expand on what you already have, kid. Emotions and desires, yes, but also strengths and weaknesses. It is why knowing why an akuma was akumatised is as important as knowing what was akumatised. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I do." This time, they were quiet and hesitant -but they didn't stutter once. Paon couldn't help but notice with slight pride that their chin straightened slightly, and the curve of their mouth raised into a determined line.

Paon allowed herself a small smile. "I thought you would."

"Now kid, your akuma was dangerous, but not because you were strong. At least, not physically," she amended with a small nod to them. "I only join the fights of those that are as you were; cunning. Cunning in your intelligence and evasion. And that, sadly, makes me wonder if you are skilled at evasion for reasons entirely unrelated to fighting."

She ghosted her hand over their arm before rubbing their shoulder reassuringly. "It makes me wonder if you are more practiced, perhaps, in the art of fleeing?" 

A shudder rolls down their entire body, and she affirms soothingly, "You don't need to talk about it kid, don't worry. And they won't ask either." Unease flickered in their gaze, and she narrows her eyes slightly, furrowing her brow beneath her mask. " _I will_ _make sure of it_." She ignores the way their shoulders relax and they stop looking like a mouse before a vicious peacock, and more like a tentative chick; stepping from beneath a wing's shadow.

She pretends that there isn't now a new weight settling on her shoulders.

 

Regardless, she lifted her hand, smiling victoriously when the akuma victim gasped in delight as light warped and one of her precious fans appeared. Though now they appeared less deadly, their piercing shine muted slightly, vivid colours shone in defiance against the darkness still and enticed the young victim. As Paon knew they would. The delicate feathers that decorated the fan fluttered in the wind, drifting side to side like slices of cloud around the center of the fan.

With delicate fingers; Paon plucked a single one and let in rest in her gloved palm. It looked peculiar in the thin moonlight; ethereal in it's silver glow. Pursing her lips, she concentrated on that small fluff of freedom until a thread of azure light began to thread around it. Dipping between the barbs and slithering along the spine, the magic cast blue light upon the wonderous expression of the kid who watched with fascination as it lengthened before their eyes; the magic singing to Paon as it did her bidding.

 

Within seconds a beautiful silver feather lay in her palm, as long as her forearm and glimmering like a star in the night. Paon reached forward and tucked it in the overlapping sections of hair in their long, messy braid. Smiling softly, she smoothed a hand down the side of the kid's face. They closed their eyes as if relishing the gentle touch from a kind person and something in Paon's chest ached. 

"This feather will allow you a connection to me, hold it and pull on the tether that links me to it and I will come," she said kindly, "use it if you are ever in great danger."

They nodded and Paon stepped back. As she rolled her shoulders, she dove down into herself and called upon her power. Shutting her eyes, she unleashed a wild smile as a great weight settled beneath her shoulders. She could feel phantom tingles where the wingtips dragged against the ground and a shiver ran through her at the peculiar feeling. 

Gasps of delighted surprise from her teammates echoed down the street, but the most rewarding thing was the look of wonder on the teenager's face as she unfurled her wings fully and spread them. The feathers shone just slightly with a silver hue as they caught the moonlight, and she lifted them in a mighty flap that sent a tumbling breeze racing down the street, lifting papers and trash from the Parisian alleyways.

She heard the whir of Ladybug's yoyo unfurling and the distinctive _chink_ of Chat's extending staff but before any of them could leave, a cold voice rang out from across the street.

"Well, wasn't that quite a show."

 

Paon immediately swung her head to face the sound and stepped forward, wings pulled in and arced; pushing the deadly horned points at the joint before her. They would act as another weapon if need be. She only used her wings in battle if it was an incredibly dangerous enemy that they fought, but the fact that this attacker had hidden in the shadows for so long...

Narrowing her eyes, she brandished her fans in the direction of the sound, and pushed the victim back gently with a wing. She would have to trust that Ladybug and Chat would take care of them. Distantly she heard Ladybug telling her to run, but the main point of focus was the glowing eyes that began to show in the shadows.

Paon growled and beckoned them forward. There was a masculine chuckle, and then a man appeared. He was clothed in a skintight armour -not unlike hers- but where hers was shades of navy and cobalt and the deep hue of the sea, his was light orange and white, harsh lines where hers was curved and feminine. Large fox ears protruded from the mop of gold locks on his head, beautiful in their uniqueness, and they twitched incessantly with each sound of the Parisian night. She cocked her head, it was almost as if this was new to him. Though she couldn't help but notice with her meticulously trained eyes that it looked quite breathtaking with his messy golden hair. He looked like a sunset.

But with her practiced warrior eyes, she realised that his outfit looked too similar to hers. 

Another miraculous?

If so, this dangerous game that they were playing with Hawkmoth was going to hit a new, untested level. 

Seeing as he didn't attack alongside the akuma it was unlikely that he was an enemy. But then again, he didn't help them either. Paon beckoned towards him, eyes locked on his shining green irises. Something passed between them -she didn't know what. But she lowered her fans slowly. All she knew was that her magic wasn't flaring up around him, which meant that Duusu trusted him. He nodded to her. _Thank you._

She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.  _Don't thank me yet._ Logically she knew that she shouldn't be able to communicate this well silently with someone, let alone someone she just met. But for some strange reason she trusted him. So her fans lowered just slightly more and she raised a brow in a silent command. _Prove to me why we should trust you._

 

He nodded to her in understanding but she was already turning away, too confused about her newfound communication with this stranger to see the look of longing he sent her. Her wings pulled in tight to her back, powerful tendons going taught as she tried not to show the tension turning her body stiff. Paon met Ladybug's determined stare with one of her own and gestured to them to come forward. Chat's ears folded back at the command but he complied. Seconds later, Ladybug came to stand at her right with Chat hissing his warning on her left. Together they were a united front. Together they stared him down.

But she still felt alone.

Until she looked at him, properly looked at him, and wondered if maybe she wouldn't be alone anymore.


End file.
